Category: Information

The blog 965malls went around The Avenues yesterday and took a picture of every store front that had a sale. In total they counted 98 stores on sale! They then took the 98 pictures of the store fronts and put them together in a collage which you can see a part of in the image above. Check out their blog for the full image and more [Here]

Today is the first day of REUSE 4.0 which is being held on the premises of the Australian College of Kuwait. REUSE 4.0 features a dynamic mix of art galleries, music, film screenings, mixed media installations, a lounge, go-kart sprints, trendy eco-fashion & accessories, prizes, surprises & more. My brother got invited to exhibit his abandoned Amiri Hospital pictures at the event and he was there yesterday and took some pictures of the event which you can check out below.

REUSE 4.0 is being held from today January 11th till Thursday the 13th. It’s open from 4pm to 9pm and you can get a lot more information from their website [Here]

Last month I posted that the menu of Peacock will be transferred to Rangoli once the Radisson SAS closes down for renovation. Turns out that information wasn’t correct. Al Bustan all day dining was transferred to Rangoli, Peacock on the other hand was closed with the hotel. For those of you who don’t know Peacock, it’s one of the most popular Chinese restaurants in Kuwait and was recently nominated the best fine dining restaurant in Kuwait.

Picture from the Traveling Chemist

So just before New Years The Avenues announced that starting 2011 it would be non-smoking mall. Well it’s 2011 and I haven’t seen any change. As expected people are still allowed to smoke freely and today I even spotted a shop employee smoking outside her shop as well. We’re still the first week of 2011 and it looks like the smoke free idea has already collapsed.

I think there are a few reasons behind this.

1) There are no signs inside the mall that say “No Smoking”
2) Looks like the employees of the shops don’t know it’s now a smoke free environment
3) Not enough personnel to look out for smokers

Here is what I suggest as solutions:

1) There should be better coordination between the shops and the mall. Maybe the mall could provide the stores with a kit that contains a no smoking sticker for their door and small no smoking stands to place inside the store next to cash register. Maybe there could be a small booklet that explains to the employees why there is this band and what to do in an event they catch a smoker who refuses to stop smoking
2) There should be no smoking signs next to the trash bins and all around the mall
3) There should be more people stationed around the mall keeping an eye out for smokers
4) Create posters or give away fliers to people explaining to them the dangers of smoking and second hand smoke. That way customers will understand the reason behind the ban
5) Think bigger and create a campaign for a smoke free Kuwait and The Avenues could set an example by being the first major establishment to support this

If you guys have any other ideas post them below.

Aramex are increasing their prices once again starting January 15th. The last time they increased their prices they blamed it on the increase in oil prices I’m not sure what the reason is this time. Here are the new prices:

First Half KG
Old Price: KD3
New Price: KD3.15

Additional Half KG
Old Price: KD2.5
New Price: KD2.65

My biggest issue with this is the change, the Aramex drivers already have a hard time giving me change and now we’re getting into coins? At the very least I hope they give the drivers Knet machines. They had them for awhile so not sure why they stopped using them. Here is the PDF with the new prices [PDF Link]

Update: I was just checking my archive and noticed a couple of years back, June 2008 to be exact, they sent an email saying they were going to introduce online payment, I wonder what happened with that?

There is going to be a partial solar eclipse tomorrow and if you’re interested in observing it you can do so at the home of astronomer Adel Alsadoun. He’s inviting the public to come by and check it out from there since he will have a telescope connected to a large screen to view the eclipse plus he will be providing solar eclipse glasses.

Date: Tuesday, 4th of January 2011
Time: 10:30am to 1:00pm
Address: Fintas, Block 4, Street 9, House 21
Mobile: (+965) 9901-2521

Last year Al Mulla & Behbehani Motor Company announced that they were taking over the Fiat and Alfa Romeo dealership (Both were previously with the National Agencies Group). Their new showroom is opening up sometime this year in Al Rai but today I noticed they already had two Fiat 500’s on display at their Jeep/Dodge showroom (pictured above). The Fiat salesman wasn’t there but according to another salesman they are selling for around KD6,500.

Yesterday the local blogosphere came alive about how starting January 1st The Avenues would turn into a non-smoking mall. I for one was very skeptical when hearing this since the airport for example is supposed to be smoke free yet people there smoke casually without any consequences. At restaurants smokers also usually have the best tables while non-smokers get shoved all the way in the back. Since I was in contact with someone at The Avenues, I decided to find out more about this smoking ban and how they were going to enforce it.

First of all The Avenues is going to be smoke free except for the following areas:
– Designated areas in cafés and restaurants
– Seating areas and space outside The Avenues (open air)
– 9 air freshener machines (pictured above) will be installed at all the basement entrances and those stations will be designated as smoking areas

Regarding enforcing this ban, if The Avenues security personal find anyone smoking they will approach them and ask them to stop. Since they’re a mall they can’t fine smokers themselves but they will be cooperating closely with the police who are present at the mall on a daily basis.

I am a non-smoker and I hate walking in a mall behind someone smoking so personally I really hope this campaign succeeds and The Avenues can truly enforce this smoking ban and set an example.

The Pro Kart Racing Club is organizing a Universities & Colleges Karting Cup that will be taking place next month. It’s divided into a “Males Cup” and a “Females Cup” so that way everyone gets to participate. The cost is KD30 if you’re a racer and KD10 if you’re a supporter. This includes an open buffet but not sure if the KD30 fee includes the cost for all the races (practice, qualification etc..).

For more information you can check out their website [Here]

Last week I posted about the Gran Turismo 5 Time Challenge that’s taking place across the Middle East and how Kuwait wasn’t even ranked in the top 10. Well the competition is finally over and it turns out Kuwait came first. Pretty cool (although slightly geeky) achievement. [Link]

Cinemagics have launched a film festival in hopes of paving the way for the new generation of film makers in Kuwait. You can find information on this competition on their website but here is the list of categories you can participate in:

– Cinematography
– Editing & Sound for cinema
– Advertising for Cinema & New Media
– Acting for Cinema
– Directing & Filmmaking

This competition is only for students (school/university) and people under the age of 30. If you are interested in participating in the film festival you can visit their website for more information and details. There is plenty of time to create something if you don’t have a film ready since the submission deadline is March 10, 2011. [Link]

A reader sent me a link to an article in Al Watan Daily on the new Gulf Road cameras that are installed. According to the article the speed cameras on the Gulf Road don’t just take pictures of speeding cars but are similar to the cameras on the First Ring Road in that they calculate your average speed from one camera to another. That means even if you slow down when passing camera 1, if you get to camera 2 too quickly then they would know you were speeding.

Personally I don’t think this is true. When compared to the First Ring Road, that stretch has 2 lanes of traffic and 2 cameras at the start each pointing to a lane with 2 more cameras at the end of the stretch also with each pointing to a lane. The Gulf Road on the other hand has 3 lanes and traffic lights all along the way. There is also 1 camera pointing across all the lanes instead of 3 different cameras each pointing to a seperate lane. I could also speed down the Gulf Road at 120km/h but as soon as I stop at a red traffic light my average speed is back to normal. Of course I won’t be speeding just in case this is true. [Link]

Thanks Nooris

Last week Nat had dinner with some of her friends at a new restaurant that just opened up in Kuwait City called Ruby’s. She had a good experience and suggested that we pass by for lunch yesterday.

From outside the place doesn’t look like much since the shops and buildings next to it are pretty old but once you walk into Ruby’s it’s a completely different atmosphere. The place is pretty spacious and has a very cozy look and feel to it. We sat down in a comfy corner and the waitress brought us the menu. The first thing that impressed me was with how minimal their menu was. They have only 3 salads, 3 panini’s, 3 pastas and 3 burgers which I thought was very brave. Restaurants here seem to get the impression you need to have a million items on your menu but you really don’t since it’s about the quality not quantity.

Nat ordered the Mango Pumpkin Chicken Salad while I ordered the Bronte Burger on my first visit and the Chicken and Mango Chutney Panini on my second (had lunch there yesterday and today). Nat really loved her salad and I thought my burger which had a sweet chili sauce was really well made. It was delicious and on my second visit I was really tempted to order it again but decided to try something else and I am glad I did. As much as I thought their burger was amazing the Chicken and Mango Chutney Panini was even better. The Mango Chutney was sweet and gave the panini amazing flavor, I really loved it. I also ordered their chocolate dessert on my second visit and although it was good, I would prefer the Chocolate Fondant at Life with Cacao or the Chocolate Pudding at Slider Station instead.

Their prices are very decent. Their menu ranges from KD2.250 for their cheapest Salad up to KD3.750 for their Shrimp in Linguine which is their most expensive dish.

Ruby’s has been open I think for around 2 weeks only. They still don’t have a sign outside and they will be installing their Knet machine hopefully this week according to the waitress. I’ve drawn a map to the location which you can view [Here]. The service is great, the place is cozy and the food is amazing. I highly recommend the place.

Update: Currently (as of December 29, 2010) they open from 3PM to 11PM. According to the employees there within the next 10 days they will start opening from 11AM to 11PM. Their phone number is 22496526,

Just found out Alshaya are bringing IHOP to Kuwait. IHOP stands for International House of Pancakes and is an American breakfast chain. I don’t think they’re open anywhere outside of North America.

In non-food related news, Harvey Nichols will be opening their first store in Kuwait in Avenues Phase III. Originally Harvey Nichols said they were opening the store in the summer of 2011 but not sure if that’s still the case since I thought Phase III still needed more time then that to be completed.

Thanks damdy

During the summer while in Lebanon I posted about how I found out I was allergic to dogs by doing a “prick test”. Well there was a lot of interest on that subject so I figured I would share this information with you. First of all for those of you who don’t know what a prick test is, basically they write on both your arms with a pen a variety of things that cause allergies like cats, dogs, dust mites etc… and then they put a concentrated drop of that item next to the corresponding name and they prick you. After 10 minutes whichever spot swells then thats what you have an allergy to.

So anyway I was recently having breathing problems I called International Clinic, booked an appointment with the lung Dr and then passed by. She asked me if I had allergies and I told her over the summer I did a prick test and found out I was allergic to dogs. She told me I might have an allergy to pollens. Turns out every country has different pollens, for example in France they have apple trees, in Lebanon pine trees, in Kuwait it’s completely different type of plants as well. The test I had in Lebanon most probably covered only the pollens that are popular in Lebanon. She told me she would give me the prick test again.

When I took the prick test in Lebanon they tested me for 11 different kind of things I could be allergic to. The one I did at International Clinic had 26 different item, more than double of that in Lebanon. The Dr was also right, turned out I was allergic to two more things other than dogs, I was allergic to palm trees and another sort of weed pollen that grows everywhere in Kuwait.

Regarding my allergies, she told me I either had to get rid of my dog or start on a dog allergy vaccine which within 3 years would cure me from my dog allergy. The palm tree and weed allergy is a seasonal thing and could be solved with medication so I didn’t really need to get a vaccine for them.

So if anyone is interested in the prick test you can get one done at International Clinic. The cost of the prick test was KD40. I also paid a KD20 consultation fee but not sure if that’s the same for everyone (I also did a respiratory test among other things).